Iceblade Ascendant

7: GRATH

"It must be Athenara and the patrol," Jaewyn snarled. "They're in trouble. Zephyrle..."

"On it," the sprite replied, lifting up her goggles. From somewhere about her person she pulled out a small, wooden tube banded with brass strips. It looked mechanical and Atlantyan in design, probably some artefact Zeph had stolen from who knew where. "With this I can zoom in and see better..."

She manipulated the device and it seemed to fold out, being longer than it first seemed. Zephyrle held one end up to her eye. After a few moments she made a noise of disbelief.

"Zeph. Zeph what is it?" Jaewyn was agitated. Clearly her friend had seen something alarming. Zephyrle took the tube away from her face and held it out to Jaewyn. "Jae, you need to see this. The...things they're fighting, what the shit are those things?"

Jaewyn planted her sword point first into the ground and took up the tube. Placing it to her eye, she marvelled at the close up view of the battling figures in the crumbling, Atlantyan arena.

Her marvel quickly turned to horror as she saw the fungoid monstrosities.

They were big, taller than a sky elf, and Kalethe's height was nothing to scoff at. They were broad as well, stocky and heavily built, with arms and legs that were corded with muscle and immense feet that splayed outwards, giving firm stance on the ground. The creatures' skin was a deep hue, a greyish green with splashes of dark blue on ridges about their torsos and arms. These ridges resembled, to Jaewyn's horror, actual shelf-type fungus clinging to the body, much like shelf fungus that adhered to the trunks of trees. From the ends of their thick arms sprouted squirming, serpentine growths that lashed through the air like tentacles, and Jaewyn fancied she could see small, claw-like ridges around their lengths. The most horrifying thing of all about the monsters were their heads: massive, blunt protrusions that sported four glowing, yellow eyes that stood out from the darker hues of the rest of their bodies. A carpet of mushroom-like growths sprouting all over the creatures' shoulders and backs topped off their monstrous appearance.

The remnants of the Beltharin patrol, some of which were lying motionless on the sandy, arena floor, were struggling against the monstrous beasts. Jaewyn recognised captain Athenara, in her silver breastplate and wielding her gemmed longsword as she ducked and rolled beneath a monster's sweeping blows. Motioning to her team, she handed the tube back to Zephyrle, snatched up her phoenix blade and leapt down the slope toward the ruins.

"Weapons out!"

Jaewyn and her team hurried down between the rocks, stalagmites and fungi to the base of the fallen star, the meteorite as Thalleron had called it. Descending into the maze of broken staircases, collapsed walls and cracked pathways, they could hear the clamour of weapons and the roar of beasts. All four of them moved swiftly but constantly scanned their surroundings for potential threats. Jaewyn reckoned she had a powerful team: she lead the way, clad in her formidable Phoenix armour and wielding Arnjo and her shimmerscale shield. Zephyrle, with violet eyes flashing like purple sparks and fangs bared, twirled her sparkswords. Thalleron, eyes narrowed like shards of flint and jaw set like a steel vice, held his staff firm, its gemstone tip crackling with arcane power. Last came Kalethe, mighty but enigmatic, Isaku gleaming azure, the dim light reflecting off his gemstone-studded armour, his facial expression written in stone.

Before long they vaulted over a broken section of wall and into the arena.

"Attack!" Jaewyn gave the simple command. She rushed towards the monster assaulting Athenara, sword coming around in a huge arc. The blade met one of the flailing tentacles and sliced straight through it, spilling black blood onto her armour. She dodged another tentacle, spinning and carving up into it again with her sword. The second tendril came away, spurting blood from its severed end. As the monstrous thing turned its pupil-less eyes in her direction she stood her ground, raising her shield slightly, preparing for a charge. With a bellow of rage that seemed to set her ears on fire, the beast thundered towards her. Just before impact, she rolled aside, smiling in satisfaction as Athenara's sword came flying end over end to slam into the creature's back.

"Nice work," she drawled, skidding around and slicing a thick ankle before the beast could turn. Then it was upon them again, and they circled, two against a single opponent. Athenara unsheathed her second longsword and twirled it expertly. Elsewhere Jaewyn could hear the crackling fire of Thalleron's staff and see the green-white blasts in her peripheral vision. Then, as the monstrous beast roared in anger again, its yellow eyes flaring like hot coals, she and the captain charged from different sides, slashing their weapons into the creature. Caught between the hammer and the anvil the fungal monstrocity flailed wildly, one of its righthand tendrils catching Athenara across the face. She was sent flying backwards to smack into a broken wall.

"Bloody thing," Jaewyn swore, flicking a glowing rune on Arnjo's hilt. The blade began to pulsate gently with golden light. Attracted to the light, the monster turned toward her. It raised its arm to smash its puny opponent. Seconds later Arnjo sliced into the creature's left arm, severing it at the wrist. Blood spurted and she dodged its cascade as the monster reeled in agony, sweeping its righthand tentacles at her head. She ducked and skitted away, slamming her blade point first into her foe's calf. Ears ringing from the pain of the monster's agonised cries, she glanced quickly to where Athenara lay. The captain was conscious but unmoving, her sword on the ground near her open hand.

"Get him, kill it for me," Athenara groaned.

"Bastard," Jaewyn spat, circling again, her shield up. When the monster lunged forwards with a bellow of hate she sidestepped and severed the right arm at the wrist. The remaining tentacles flopped to the ground like eels flapping out of water, blood leaking and spurting all around.

"What are you?" Jaewyn asked as the monster wailed in pain and lunged forward again, severed arms thrashing. Even with no tendrils the arms were powerful weapons, thick as tree trunks and corded with fungal muscle. In addition the spiny-toothed maw was opening wide. What now, Jaewyn thought, raising her shield just in time before a glob of bright green goo spat forth, hissing like a serpent as it melted into the dragynscale surface. That explains the strange scouring she realised, discarding her shield. In the momentary pause before the creature attacked again, she rushed forwards, flicking the rune on Arnjo's hilt to extend the weapon. Just before she barrelled into the beast, she leapt up and spun, her double-handed blade flashing in the phosphorescent light of the mushrooms. Then she slammed down, Arnjo slicing vertically down the monster's torso. An explosion of light and energy erupted from the point of impact, throwing Jaewyn backward and nearly blinding her in a supernova of power. She clattered to the ground and looked up, to see her monstrous foe standing still, its head cracked back. As the light faded, the creature's eyes dimmed, and suddenly the beast toppled backward like a falling tree. In a crash of rubble and blood the thing hit the ground, throwing up a cloud of rock and dust.

"Finally," she sighed. The ring of starsilver, the sparks of swords and the green-white blasts were continuing nearby but first Jaewyn had to see to her friend. Hurrying over to the fallen captain, she knelt by Athenara.

"My story is over," Athenara said calmly. Her blue eyes held no fear, only tranquility.

"Shit. Shit." Jaewyn cursed, examining the other woman's injuries. Her back was broken, the armour split and shattered. To top it off an iron bar protruded from Athenara's shoulder, its jagged tip slick with her steaming Beltharin blood. "Do you know what happened here?"

"Go help the others, I can last until the end of the fight."

"But..."

"Go, you're needed," Athenara snarled, her eyes flashing dangerously. Although Jaewyn was superior in the chain of command, she had no desire to do wrong by the dying elf. Nodding silently, she leapt up and rushed toward her battling companions.